Applicants roll in for chamber post

More than 30 applicants are vying to get the job of president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, according to the chamber's interim president, Ed Graham.

The new president will replace Larry McKinney, who resigned in September to take a similar job with the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce in Florida.

As of Wednesday morning, the chamber committee charged with finding a new president had accepted 31 applications from people interested in the job. The chamber president serves as the paid executive responsible for the association's day-to-day operations and strategic plans.

Next week, the search committee will begin reviewing the candidates, said committee chairman Jim Sykes, a chamber board member and Georgia Power Co. executive.

The search committee is looking for a new president who represents a "visionary leader," "bridge builder" and "business manager," among other attributes, according to the chamber's Web site.

Members of the chamber's board of directors met in December to discuss the group's priorities and define its goals and objectives before launching its search for a new president.

"Basically we're very interested in rebuilding our networks and working with our regional partners," Graham said about results of those discussions.

The chamber began advertising for the president's job in early February, and this week extended the deadline for applications to March 7. Graham said he hopes the board can hire someone by late April or early May at the latest.

"We want to make a transition (to the new president) as quickly as possible after that," Graham added.

The chamber board in December appointed Graham, who also serves as chairman of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, as interim president. He formerly served as president of Noramco and international vice president of Johnson & Johnson.